Internal combustion and turbine engines require a power source to start. Commonly, this power source is in the form of a battery, which provides power to a starter motor, which in turn drives the engine. The crankshaft of the engine is rotated by the starter motor at a speed sufficient to start the engine. If the battery goes dead or otherwise lacks sufficient power for the starter motor to drive the engine, the engine won't start. Environmental factors, such as temperature, affect the output of the battery and power required to rotate the engine.
If the battery lacks sufficient power to start the engine, a supplemental power source is necessary to jump start the engine. Typically, jumper cables are used to connect the battery of one vehicle to the dead battery of another vehicle needing to be jumped. The batteries are connected in parallel using heavy cables (jumper cables) which are connected to the terminals of the batteries using conductive clamps.
Several potential problems arise from the use of conventional jumper cables. Batteries in motor vehicles are capable of producing from 2,500 to more than 45,000 watts of power. If the batteries are cross-connected or the clamps inadvertently contact each other when one end of the jumper cables is connected to a battery, sparking can occur resulting in damage to the battery, the electrical system of the vehicle, and injury to the user of the jumper cables. If the jumper cables are not properly connected, there is a potential for the batteries exploding and fire, which may result in injury to those in proximity to the vehicle being jumped. Furthermore, the user is not given any indication as to the reason the battery is dead, which may only cause additional problems when trying to jump start the dead battery.